Long Time no Blog ¡Vive Madrid!

I knew this would happen. I´d go days (okay a week) without writing in my blog and it would cause me extreme guilt. But in all honesty, not too much had gone on last week until Friday. Around the dorm, more kids move in each week and as of last night the food is getting crappier and seemingly harder to come by. I decided that I´d cave and buy some snack food this week but we were so well fed in Madrid that I might use my culinary misfortune as a form of diet. Homework, on the other hand doesn't weigh me down so much. Usually there is something to read and small assignment to do in a workbook. I've had like 2 one-page writing assignments, but nothing has been too strenuous. Gives me time to work on my napping skills!

Okay, the moment you've all been waiting for: Details on Madrid and Toledo! First and foremost - I can hardly drive the 2 hours from GVSU back home, so 5 hours on a bus was wicked hell for me. We stopped at a rest stop halfway through so that was nice. When we arrived at the hotel, I was amazed. It wasn't anything out of this world from U.S. hotel standards but after living in the dorm for 3 weeks, I thought I was in heaven. It wasn't even the rooms that were so stellar (the showers were really nice, though!) but the food. I think I've made it obvious that the food at the dorm isn't anything to rave about, so when we arrived at the extensive buffet restaurant in the hotel....We all went a little crazy. Like mistreated orphans that had just escaped to an Old Country Buffet or something. It was all very good and I´m pretty sure any weight I´d lost from not eating in the dorms was regained in about 8 minutes on the first day. (And yes, we ate like that every meal!)

The first day (Friday) we went to Palacio Real. It was the residence of the kings/queens of Spain up until about 35 years ago. Now it´s just used for special events like coronations or to host important foreign diplomats. We had a guided tour from a very quiet robot lady, so I only caught a few important notes here and there. The rooms were all immaculate - from the dining hall that could seat 150 people to a room where the walls were covered in hand-embroidered cloth. Oh yeah, besides being friggin huge! there were 3 more floors under the palace that was used only by the servants AND their families. I can only imagine the staff it took to run that place. Whew! Of course we couldn't take pictures from the inside, so all I have to offer are pictures of the facade and the huge courtyard. I didn't care too much for the history lesson but it was absolutely impeccable. We went to one Cathedral of Madrid which was right next to the Palace. We were allowed to take pictures in that one! I was surprised at how colorful it was. Not just the typical grey I was expecting. I thought this one was great until they said that it wasn't too important and that the one in Toledo would blow our minds. (which it TOTALLY did)

From there we walked to the heart of Madrid. Along the way we saw some important landmarks and our accompanying professors pointed out the influence of Arabic and Jewish architecture. We went to la Plaza de la Villa, la Plaza Mayor y la Puerta del Sol. All the plaza-like hot spots with touristy shops and bars. We also saw 3 different people in Mickey Mouse costumes and a fat 66 year-old Spiderman. Darn....if only I had a picture of that.... There were those people who paint themselves up like statues and stay in one position for hours each day. That was cool. But slightly disturbing at times. I couldn't believe how still they were! Afterwards we had some free time to walk around and shop the city. The most overwhelming thing about Madrid was the amount of people everywhere! Constant crowds, and our guides kept telling us to watch our bags and be mindful of pickpockets. I don´t recall hearing about any robberies, but it was another shock from our peaceful little Bilbao.

Dinner Buffet at hotel... I salivate at the thought.

That night we were led to an Irish bar by some girls that were studying in Madrid and were good friends with another girl in our dorm from USC. We were staying at a hotel in the northern part of Madrid and taking the metro into the city was about 25 minutes. I´m used to the 7 minute ride into the ¨downtown¨ of Bilbao, so this was a little lengthy but worth it. It was a lot of fun - drinks, dancing, and friends. Afterwards we went to some club that they heard was good, but it ended up being a techno club for old people. Perhaps no, but it just seemed like everyone in there was over the age of 45 and primarily women. We now affectionately refer to it as the Cougar Den. The music was good though so we danced for a while and then called it quits. Got back around 3 or 4 and washed the city grime off me. Thank god I had a roommate who was a deep sleeper - she didn't feel well and didn't go out that night.

Final thoughts on the night: worth the lack of sleep.

Along with the morning, our blessed charter bus arrived to take us to Toledo. It was about an hour ride through the mountains. The scenery was unlike anything I've ever seen in the States or anywhere else. I've never seen the mountains out west, but I´d imagine that it has a similar breath-taking effect. We picked up our tour guide Magda (Madgalena) who told us about somethings (historical and present) while we rode on the bus. Our first quick pit stop was on the side of the road with the most gorgeous view of the city of Toledo. I took some really good panoramic shots with my camera (I´m really glad I discovered that function!) Our next stop was a metal smith's type place where they specialized in gold placing and steel. By gold placing I mean that a man would take a thread of pure gold over a pendant or pair of earrings and then tap it into the soft, black steel with a special tool. And by steel, I mean some friggin sweet swords. They were so beautiful and immaculate, but I didn't see anything I couldn't live without or that I´d care to gift. The rest of the Toledo tour included walking through the windy streets and ending up at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo. It is the most important cathedral in the entire Catholic world behind the one in Rome. In early Spain, Toledo (not Madrid) was the capital and I guess some serious stuff went down back in the day. It was super huge and gorgeous and all that fun old stuff. I once again can only offer exterior pictures.

We rode back after a decent lunch at a restaurant and at that time the city was kind of quiet. There was a fútbol match that day (Real Madrid beat Tenerife, 3-0) so if you weren't at the stadium (75,000 people were) then you were at a bar or in your house watching. Some shops were even closed! We caught the highlights later on some bootleg Spanish ESPN. We walked around the city a little bit more and did some shopping. We headed back early to rest because Saturday night held the most intense night excursion that I may ever have here in Spain.

After another dinner from heaven, I rested and prepared for Teatro Kapital. (Tay-a-tchro Kap-ee-tall) It´s a 7-story night club that has 3 different DJs, plenty of dance floors, and couple bars on every floor. We even sang karaoke! It was mostly techno, but they played some good American pop/hip-hop on one floor and lots of popular Spanish music. I think there were some weird 80s tunes like Eye of the Tiger and other weird stuff. On the very top floor there was a lounge - it looked like a swanky resort with couches everywhere, palm trees, fountains, 2 bars, and fabric draped from the ceiling and in columns everywhere. Oh and did I mention that there was a retractable roof so that we could gaze at the stars at 2am while we sipped $18 mojitos? (and by we, I mean everyone but me. I like mojitos, but not that much) The initial admission wasn't that pricey as far as huge night clubs go and we got some tickets from someone in the metro that got us 2 free drinks and a discounted rate.

There were people from all over the world there. Many from the states that were studying in Spain and a lot of international students. We arrived at about 1:30 which by some standards in Spain was early, and most people in our group left at 3ish. I was not one of those people. I left at 6am. Wait, wait...Here´s the logic: I paid enough to get into the club and I was having a great time. Instead of paying for a taxi home, just stay until the metro starts running the next morning and take that home. I had 4 more clicks on the metro card I had bought and so it all worked out for the 4 of us that stayed out. After the long metro ride and a shower that should have included sandpaper to get the grime off, it was 730am and wake up call was in about 20 minutes. I packed my stuff up (since it was Sunday morning and we were leaving) and then it was time for breakfast.

Final thoughts on the night: sooooooo worth the lack of sleep. (I guess I look pretty rough today after not sleeping all weekend and one of my professors said that I should take a serious siesta but that I´m young and should live it up!)

After breakfast I was still kicking like all I did the night before was play bingo. We went to a really great art museum - Museo Nacional del Prado. The permanent collection included Spanish, Italian, German, British, Flemish and french paintings from 1100-1850. I actually found it very interesting. Mostly because it included all of the best works from Goya including The Third of May, Saturn devouring his Child, and lots of his work from the his dark period. I had studied them freshman year in my Europe Honors class and loved it then. We also saw the best works from Rembrant, El Greco, Rubens and Velázquez.

We had about 90 minutes of free time. I didn't really want to go to another museum and I think it was closed anyway. (It was el Museo Reina Sofía which held Picasso´s greatest works including Guernica) So we went to Parque de Retiro. This is no ordinary park. Here is a stolen description: A huge urban park that features formal gardens, natural forests, a lake and a ¨crystal palace¨ and many beautiful sculptures and statues. Truth. There were a lot of people there enjoying the beautiful weather (one major upside to Madrid - it doesn't have Bilbao´s rain! But for every drop of rain they don´t get, they have an additional 3 people...), biking, walking, rollerblading - it was amazing. I probably would've needed a whole day to see the park but what I did see was amazing.

After this we went back to the hotel to have one final feast before returning. All of the dorm kids ate like there was no tomorrow. Because in a way, there wasn't - it would be like a bear eating it´s weight in fish, fruit and berries to prepare for hibernation during which it loses 50% of it´s weight. People were still amazed with my ability to stay awake (which at this point was 30+ hours) but I really was feeling okay. I couldn't sleep very well on the bus so last night I was out like a light!

Overall Madrid was very different from Bilbao but exciting, beautiful, and offered so much in its cultural richness. Just listening on the street, you hear a lot more English being spoken and in general there are so many more people: tourists and Madrileños (citizens of Madrid). It was a little too crowded for some people but I think I held it together pretty well. A lot of people liked Toledo better because it was more like our quiet Bilbao that received cheers once we arrived on the bus. The weather was PERFECT each day and I kind of liked the big city attributes: skyscrapers, extensive metro, lots of night life.

Madrid: Little sleep and a lot of food...I loved it.

I almost feel settled in

As much as I say that my week here has been uneventful, it probably wasn't.

Since last Wednesday, there have been 2 soccer games here in Bilbao. We live pretty close to the stadium where The Athletics play. And yes, all the hype is true: Europeans (especially Spaniards) are crazy for the sport. Of course it's playing in every bar and home with a television and the people on the street momentarily forget their obligation to be the world's fashion trendsetters and wear the trademark red and white stripes everywhere they go. Even the Simpsons here like soccer. (They are obsessed with the Simpsons, it's kinda funny!)I haven't yet been to one because the weather hasn't been the greatest and if I'm going to drop 30 euros (approx $45) on some soccer tickets it better be a kickass day. But some people who went did say that it was awesome. For now, I'll just believe them.

I can't even remember what I did on Friday it was so uneventful. Probably watched some movies on my laptop. Although, now that I really think about it, that day it was monsooning again, but some of us were a little too determined to go shopping. We went to Casco Viejo (the old quarter) to some of the shops around there. We had umbrellas and had to walk in and out of the rain to each individual shop since there wasn't a mall in that area. The cool thing is that they have little bins where you can put your umbrella at the front of the store so that everything doesn't get wet. They also have umbrella bag dispensers. You just put the little guy into the opening into the plastic bag and it tears one off for you. I highly recommend this for more stores in the States. Perhaps they are there but I haven't noticed them. I think I bought one thing on clearance.

The people here are fashionable, but I guess it's not really my style. First of all, they are all rail thin, so they like either really small things or the super-baggy style that just hangs off their slim, rickety frames. And pretty much all of the t-shirts are in English. I'll assume that they know what they mean. Although some kid was wearing a retro 80s tee with some raunchy language all over it. Maybe he was a raunchy kid. I wasn't curious enough to inquire further. But I think someone took a picture of it. For the most part the style is not so much me.... And they really make investments on everyday items. Even stores we knew like H&M were more expensive than in the states. It helps me not buy so much. At least that's what I'm telling myself. Saturday saw a little more shopping action. We went to the nearest mall, Zubiarte. Still had some pretty expensive stuff but I made some small investments of my own. Perhaps they will be in some future posts.

**Downside to shopping in the rain: I currently have a sore throat and may have some kind of flu. At the smallest hint of a cough they tell you to see a doctor, so I'll be doing that tomorrow.

Saturdays are always good days. There is never anything to do for school if there isn't an excursion so we can pretty much lay around all day or make some trips of our own. In the dorm, it's a great day because it's pizza day. The only meal that we really look forward to and enjoy. Every Saturday night, we are the first ones in line like the ravenous little beasts we are. Saturday is also the best night to go out because the metro runs 24 hours. And since you can't go to the clubs before 1am and still be cool the next day, you need some kind of getaway car in the wee hours of the morning. A decent-sized group of us went again to Casco Viejo to the little bars that always have cheapy cheap beers. People were still wearing jerseys and talking about the soccer games. After that we wandered around and found a "club" called Da Vinci. I put "club" in quotations because nobody really dances. If anything, they bob and sway, and we were probably very noticeable with our flailing American arms and seizing legs. They may have thought we were freaks, but I was kinda too busy dancing my ass off to notice. We hear Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas and cheesy 80s tunes at least 5 times a day so at least the music was decent. All in all it was a good time.

We were the last ones standing (well, sitting) at 5 am on the metro

Sunday is also a good day because when you get home from the clubs at 6 am you can sleep all you want.

BUT....

We have many more occupants in the dorm now. The freshman started classes today and so they have moved in. There usually aren't that many people at meals and so when we walked down to dinner and had fewer spots in which to sit and actually had to WAIT IN LINE for food, it was astounding! We pretty much spent the whole dinner in awe of our new guests, looked for cute Spanish guys, and bashed all of the skinny gorgeous girls who were too busy staring back at us to eat. (I'm mostly coping with the staring by staring back and cursing them in the back of my mind.) Oh well, maybe some of them will be nicer than the Spanish brats we have been living with thus far. I'm determined to give it all a chance while I'm here, but I do have my limits.

On a better note, I have booked flights to Barcelona and Munich with small groups of other students. I want to see all of the Gaudí architecture here in Spain and visit some sites of the Holocaust in Germany (Dachau is a short train ride away). Besides those two main attractions there will be plenty more to do, but I'll figure that out a little later.

This weekend we will be going to Madrid and Toledo and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous. Hopefully I'll live through the week and you'll hear all about it!

NEW DISEASE ALERT IN SPAIN

2 Quick Notes Before the Medical Briefing:

Well, got my first taste of the rain in Spain (which, incidentally Professor Higgins, does not stay in the plains. I am on the mountainous coast! Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, sir!) Some of the darkest, angriest clouds I've seen in my life accompanied me on my walks all day. Got quite cool and is supposed to rain for a while now. But that is normal here and the people are used to it and are probably enjoying the cooler weather after last week's atypical heat wave.

Besides the small umbrellas that children have to shade them from the intense (and now fleeting) sunlight, there are stroller ponchos. They come with handy little vents so that the little bugs don't suffocate. And I must add, the majority of the strollers here are tricked out! They look very fancy.

Surprisingly, children are the least of my worries here. It's the grown people that need a stiff backhand once in a while. My most recent studies have brought to my attention a new epidemic that is sweeping over Spain. Forget swine flu a.k.a. H1N1 a.k.a. LA gripe. Now we have: The Fixed-Gaze Plague. It occurs whenever I walk down the street and the Spaniards stare. It is only triggered by non-Spaniards and only occurs in Spaniards. (Little chance of a pandemic so remain calm). They initiate staring, and then never stop. At times they will turn around and continue staring once you have passed them. And it cannot be interrupted or halted by the staree. For example: a polite smile and nod does not dismiss the potent peering and is never acknowledged. And recognition by the staree can sometimes intensify the stare. It's quite uncomfortable, and frankly quite rude. I have endured enough emotional distress from this Spanish sickness and am preparing to strike back. Er, stare back. I can give quite the stink eye, I've been told. And if need be, the stare can turn dirty...a dirty look that would singe them to the core. Should this not be enough, we then could turn to some alternative treatment in the form of a fierce verbal remedy ("What the heck are you looking at señior"?) and then perhaps physical contact - an extended limb to trip or clothesline. This of course would be the extreme and after that..... then we just have a lost cause.

I'm 90% joking. About the physical contact that is.

We all must have "I'M AN AMERICAN" written across our foreheads or something. Perhaps it's our way of dress, our mannerism, or just our look. Spaniards are historically a lean people and maybe we fit the fat American stereotype just enough to be gawked at. It's never because of our accent or chosen spoken language because noise is not required to trigger the sickly behavior. Perhaps I'll learn to ignore it and just think to myself..."they are staring because I am so freaking fabulous."

Until then, I'll practice my stinkeye.I'm quite sure that a Spaniard has one this for the past billion years.

Sitting

Although my day here always begins with class at 9 am all of my classes are very spread out. Today for example I have class at 9, 12:10 and 4:10. Looooots of time to sit around and blog about sitting around. I do have some research and homework to be doing. Research about planning a group trip to Barcelona (which of course I undertook) and some business homework.

All of my classes are 50 minutes except for one that is 90 minutes but only twice a week. The others are 3 times a week. It´s strange for them not to start on the hour like at Grand Valley. The classes there would start at 12 or 4, not some crazy time! Oh well. The next break gives me a chance to go back to the dorm and eat instead of staying out here and starving/paying for food.

And afterwards: siesta!

Today was cool

I'm too tired to recall everything. Did a lot of shopping. Got extremely lost at one point. But it was all worth it: We went to IKEA. Just thought you should know.

People are very thirsty on thursdays here

So it's the weekend! The CIDE program doesn't even offer classes on Fridays so they encourage us to go out and have a good time! (Other Spanish students have classes....HAHA) The first week of classes went very well I think. Not too much homework yet and the profs are all very kind. I still can't get over how beautiful the school is. It's like a friggen museum!



So on Thursday we went to a small bar that had a live rock band. Everyone from our program was there and they organized for us to have some cheap drink specials. Lots of fun! The band was four Spanish guys playing rock music and covers. I thought it was funny that it was all in English and they were called "The Shaggin Wagon." They were really good! It's weird here that you can walk into the bar, get a drink and then leave and drink out on the street. I think I took a drink into a different bar in fact. It's not a big busy street like in the states - small and only for pedestrians with bars all over. The nightlife here goes into the wee hours: young adults (14-18) can go to the bars until about 10-11 and then the older crowd shows up and stays until 3-5 am. I don't know if I'll ever make it that late. Hopefully/probably not!

Important words for the bar: caña = on tap (the cheapest beer but still good beer) chupitos = shots!

The picture on the right is us (all the girls in my dorm & program) coming down the huuuuuge escalator to the metro. It's so big!

Today we went to the Guggenheim. Referred to as the Gug (pronounced "goog"). The building itself is a work of art. The man who designed it, Frank Gehry did the original sketch on the back of an envelope and never picked up the pen - it was all one long pen stroke. Very interesting. Unfortunately, we could not take photos in the museum (very strict!) so I just have a lot of the out side. The current featured exhibit was from an artist from China Cai Guo-Qiang. I Want To Believe I loved it all. (YouTube Video of the exhibit)

The best pictures I got were of the things outside. Jeff Koons is an American contemporary artist and sculptor who designed The Puppy and The Tulips in Bilbao. First the puppy, or "poopy" as the locals pronounce it. It's 12 meters high and made of flowers. He built it in 1992 and it was in front of some other museum for a while I think but it's permanently in Bilbao now. It's the guard dog of the museum. And the Tulips are a stainless steel sculpture also by Koons. They are very colorful and make me want jellybeans. And then....there was the spider. Kinda friggin creepy. I guess the artist was very close to her mother who was very fraile (like a spider I guess) and had some physical ailments. So she made the sculpture for her. I suppose that's sweet....

After that we went for lunch. Had pinchos (peen-chos). Like small appetizer type things. Usually some meat and veggies and other things on a piece of bread. Very cheap and DELICIOUS. Next time I have them I'll try to be more specific....Ate outside and felt very Spanish. Right now I feel very tired.

Hasta Luego (See you later)



P.S. --- I totally forgot: there is a video booth on the street outside the museum. It lets u take a short video message in front of the Gug and email it right there. I was the first one to do it and it was confusing so mine is kind of a hot mess!

VIDEO

Some Notes

Home
First batch of laundry was a success! I was going to wait until mother sent me the easy sheets but had some work-out gear that needed to be defunked immediately!

Fashion/Lifestyle
The following trends are in:

• Being thin
• hence, the skinny pants and only wearing leggings
• ABSOLUTELY NO SWEATPANTS OR HOODIES (((EVER)))
• mullets (men and women)
• genie pants
• gladiator sandals

Dining
I don't eat as much or as often here so perhaps I can get on that first lifestyle trend

Nightlife
Old people here can party!!!

Landscape/Weather
Gets more beautiful everyday! Can get hot & muggy as a mother!

Study abroad does in fact include some studying...

Well the school portion of this trip has begun. I wasn't too worried about the classes because I had understood all of the guides and professors very well thus far and knew I would know what is going on in class or at least know when to ask a question. All of my classes are in the same building except one so my chances of getting lost or being late between classes is quite slim. I have significant breaks in between all of my classes too so it's convenient to go back to the dorms and eat lunch or work on homework (eek). The classes I'm taking are:

• Culture, Politics, & Economy of Modern Spanish Society
• Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics
  
• Basque Language and Culture
• Business for Spanish

They all seem really great and I'm excited to learn. None of them are too worried about correcting our grammar and such but it's all coming back to me fairly quickly. All of my classes are with other CIDE students, many of whom live in my dorm and I see on a daily basis.

Today was my early out day - done at 2pm so my roommate and I went to the beach. It was about a 20 minute metro ride (only about $2) and then a 10 minute walk from the station. Technically it's in Getxo (where we were on Friday) and hosts a nice large hotel and very unique surrounding buildings. A very small town but very beautiful and the beach of course made it incredible. some girls went yesterday and said that it was very crowded but today it was a smaller crowd and very enjoyable. It was about 94 degrees outside so it was a perfect beach day. The professors said that is very rare to be so hot like this in September so we took advantage of it while we could. So much so that I even went swimming. Underwater and everything! Haha, it was chilly at first but felt great. And I couldn't believe how buoyant I was in the water. Felt so easy to just float and enjoy the waves.

Some notes about the beach:

• European sunbathing (only one piece preferred by all - and the smaller the better)
• The water is salty. Increeeeedibly salty!
• Was swimming in the Cantabrian Sea
• Plenty of seaweed ("Looked fake" said Molly. "Should be in a fishtank."

Some surrounding buildings>>

Me at the beach!

What a weekend!

Plencia

Okay...where did I leave off???? On Friday we had our first excursion to Plencia and Getxo. The are northern towns on the coast of Spain that were traditional fishing towns. The day was mostly rainy but it cleared up a little. The town of Plencia is the last stop on the Metro so it will be easy to get to the coast for the day. Everything here is very "antigua", which means old, but incredibly preserved so it doesn't look crazy gross. We had lunch

in Plencia at a restaurant where of course the portions were HUGE! I tried some paella for the first time and it was really good. I had some fish - the most common one here is cod and sometimes tuna. It's all good though! The director of the program, Jon Franco, actually grew up in Plencia and was more than happy to show us around the area. Lots of narrow steps to walk up. Seemed like the little village we were in was built right into the hillside. And then he said "And now, the bar!" He bought a lot of people a round of drinks at some little bar where they started playing American 80s music as soon as we walked in. I had a callimocho which is red wine and coke. Sounds gross - ¡EXCELENTE! No really it was.

Callimochos con Leah

Then we went a short way to Gexto. It was pretty rainy so we had some short historical info from our guides and took some pictures. The coolest thing was a bridge that was made very high so that the ships could pass through without the bridge having to separate. To cross it people can take an elevator to the top and walk across. Or there is a suspended trolley type car that carries people and cars across. For a small fee, this is the quickest way to cross the river. Cars can park in the middle (up to 6 at a time) and people occupy either side in covered section. It was incredible! Our guide asked if the construction looked familiar. It did somewhat because the man who designed it studied under Eiffel. (You know who he is!)

Afterward we took the bus back and had an adventure at Corte Ingles. It's the everything store. Literally - skis, shower doors, razors, school supplies, guitars, clothes for the whole family and somewhere I think there was a grocery store. We were there to get cell phones. It would just make it easier to communicate with everyone here. Every other place we had gone to the people were very rude and impatient and got us absolutely no where. But the ladies at this desk were easy to speak with and helped all 8 or so of us find the right phones and plans for our trip. In that particular group I think I knew the most Spanish and I made sure to tell them that they were so nice and helpful and that we were appreciative. They asked us about where we were from and told us to come back anytime!

And then it was the first night out! We got dressed up and went out to see the town. A place called Casco Viejo (The Old Quarter) is where it really happens. Just bar, after bar, after bar! Lots of people in the streets having fun. We went to one bar and had a few beers and chatted it up with some other students we met there. It was really fun to see the city at night and walk along the river and see the beautiful Guggenheim and all of the bridges across la ría. (El río = river. La ría = estuary)
Saturday was kind of a lazy day. We checked out another local mall and later that evening went to a friend's apartment and played a few games and talked. Some went out to some bars and clubs but I got a few drinks at a pool hall with a smaller group and got to know some of the other students.

All together the trip has been great, the friends I've made are fun, and I'm very much looking forward to starting school tomorrow.

Long Day

Slept like the redwood forest last night! I guess the bed was comfy or I could've just been knocked out from being away for over 30 hours....

Got up this morning and took Bilbobus (the local bus) to the university with the other students from the building. (Everyone here is really nice and cool too!!! Especially my roomie, Molly) We had a short orientation and the BAM! Spanish placement exam....might as well have been in Russian cuz I didn't know what the bleep I was doing. Oh well, they told us not to worry - I just hope I get credits for everything. The entire staff is very patient and willing to help. They know plenty of English but of course to help us learn, everything is in Spanish.

Had lunch at a hotel (provided by CIDE, the university) and then went in small groups on a little tour of Bilbao. Guillermo, my guide, showed us a few historical landmarks, pleeeennnttttyyy of bars, and some of the shady places we should avoid. And then came the cell phone drama. A few of us went to Vodafone and Movistar, some popular mobile phone places here and between our lack of Spanish, their lack of English and small selection, it was very difficult at times. The prices seemed a little steep and you can't buy "minutes" like you can in the US. You just put money on it. I decided to wait and shop around, which proved to be a good idea. I'm sure I'll pick one up in the next few days to keep in touch with all the cool people I'm meeting!

Tired as usual, came back and napped it up and then went to another interesting dinner experience that begins every night at 830PM. Some notes on meals:
-mystery vegetables
-lots of bread
-only beverage is water
-deisgnated napkin cubbies.....that's right. You get a cloth napkin to use and then you keep it and put it in your cubbie. They take them out twice a week and wash them. I find it very interesting and funny. New napkin day is always exciting!
Fortunately, I'm not a picky eater, and the food here is free so I'm not about to go spend a lot of money on restaurants. The girl son my floor and I all went out for some ice cream and explored our surroundings (10+ bars in 2 blocks)

Should be veeerrrry interesting. I feel like I always have so much to write, but at this point am still completely wiped out. Stay tuned. ¡Buenas Noches!

Hey Spain: I've arrived!

Well......I'M HERE!!! this place is gorgeous. flying in I could see lots of hills and farms and the red clay rooftops. Absolutely breathtaking! (didn't have my camera handy :( oh well. plenty plenty of time for that. On the bus from the airport it felt like, well....like Jurassic park. All of the trees and greenery seemed so naturally in place: like the roads were delicately placed between them all. None of this super-pruned tree every 5 feet and plain roads. Lots of twisting expressways with hills, valleys, giant trees and such and whatnot all over! I'm excited to see more of the countryside.

Flights went well (Windsor -> Toronto -> Frankfurt -> Bilbao). The coolest plane was from Canada to Germany. Individual tv screens and you could pick what you wanted to watch! Saw a few flicks (I recommend State of Play w/ Russell Crowe) but I think the food on that flight got me a little out of whack. Wasn't feeling the best on the final flight. My luggage came swiftly and quickly and found the right people outside without any trouble. Those were probably the two things I was most worried about: Luggage and finding my posse. Things just fell into place!

I'm all unpacked in my dorm - it's small but has all of the proper necesities. Not quite enough closet space but I'll make it work. I don't have a roommate yet. Not sure who it could be. Did some exploring with some people on my floor and found some small grocery-type stores. We already got a taste of the weird hours here: lunch went until 3 and dinner is from 830-1000. You don't have to eat in the dormitories, but this student is on a budget! Tomorrow we meet with the big group and really get things going. I'm excited, anxious, nervous, and so grateful for this incredible journey on which I'm about to embark!

P.S. - Everyone seems a little more worried than me about their Spanish-speaking abilities. I'm no pro, but maybe they'll help me look better ;)